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Barack and Michelle Obama Open Up About Life After the White House

By Elisa Osegueda 12:45 PM PDT, September 8, 2016

Essence

Barack and Michelle Obama are a united force!

The president and first lady appear together on the cover of Essence magazine's October issue, in which the power couple open up about their time in the White House, the state of the nation and the legacy they hope to leave behind.

"I can unequivocally say that America is better off now than we were when we came into office," President Obama tells the magazine, hitting newsstands on Sept. 16. "By almost every economic measure, we’re better off. But having said that, we still have a lot of work to do."

"Some of my fondest memories of the White House are just being with the girls on a summer night and walking the dogs around the South Lawn," he adds. "Talking and listening to them, trying to get Bo to move because sometimes it’s hot."

Michelle also appears solo on the cover of InStyle, and talks about everything from Snapchat and her fashion sense to life after the White House.

"Well, the honest answer is I have no idea, just like I had no idea what my life would be like living in the White House," she tells InStyle about the future. "My hopes are that we recapture some everydayness, some anonymity. And we know that will take some time. But I always joke that I dream of opening up my front door and walking out without any notification, without any security."

"But at the same time, there are many aspects to living in the White House that we'll miss—the folks who work here, the staff who takes care of our families, my team who works on these issues,” she shares. “I mean, these are the people we see every day. They've cared for us for eight years. My children's formative years have been in this house. But we're young. Barack and I still want to do great work."